Category: Yarn Information

I decided to test the yarns I use to see how well they hold up to machine washing and drying. I’ve worked up a sample of each to wash, tumble dry and photograph mutltiple times, and I’ll post the results here. I made sure I had lots of ends to weave in so I could see how those held up as well. (Sorry for the vastly differing photo quality between the first and second samples – I must get better at that!)

Acrylic Easy Knit Baby Luv Georga

Easily the strangest name for any yarn ever but one of my favourites. So soft! I really hope this one holds up.

wash 1 – Hard to tell in the picture that it’s picked up a little bit of fuzz, but nothing too bad (kind of a nice halo, actually). More concerning are the couple of ends that have poked out – just a little! – so I’ll have to work on securing those better.

Cotton Lily Sugar and Cream

A favourite for a lot of people, this has a reputation for being hardwearing.

wash 1 – A slight relaxing of the stitches but nothing major, and very, very minor fuzzing. No sign of the ends. So far so good!

Acrylic Phentex Worsted

This is a nice afghan yarn that’s pretty soft for an acrylic of this weight and price range.

wash 1 – Now it’s even softer than before, and it’s held up beautifully, no fuzzing at all. I’m impressed.

Acrylic Bernat Baby Sport

For a baby yarn I was not very impressed with this, the white was not soft at all. The colours are better, but overall when what I’ve got is gone I won’t get any more.

wash 1 – A very small amount of fuzzing, softer than when it started and the ends stayed put. Not too bad after all.

Acrylic Red Heart Comfort

Another classic afghan yarn but not as soft as others. I believe this will get better with washing.

wash 1 – Oh yes, much softer now. Held together well, no fuzzing and ends well hidden. Just as I was hoping for!

Cotton Bernat Handicrafter

Another often used cotton, a little thicker than Sugar and Cream.

wash 1 – Held up well, no fuzzing and ends still tucked in. Not really any softer, but it was ok to begin with.

Acrylic Bernat Softee Baby

A favourite of mine, nice and soft with great colours. Another I hope will hold up well.

wash 1 – Nice, with very, very little fuzzing and ends still tucked in. Just as soft as when it began, held up well.

Acrylic

This is one you may not see anywhere else. I picked it up at the Crochet Guild conference and I won’t be afraid to get more next year. I like it!

wash 1 – Very impressive, feels great with no fuzzing and all ends safely tucked away.

Acrylic Loops and Threads Soft and Shiny

The Michaels housebrand, I liked working with this and I like the way it looks but I’m afraid about how it will wear. Fingers crossed!

I’ve been eyeing this in the store for a while, it looks so nice but the skeins are pricey and small. Even so, I’ll use it if it holds up.

wash 1 – Soft, no fuzzing and just one little end peeking out. The big disappointment was how much it stretched. To be fair, the label says wash on delicate and lay flat to dry, but as the internet lady says “Ain’t nobody got time for that!” I’m sad.

Metallic

Another I’ve been eyeing for awhile. Soft and oh so shiny, this has a lot of potential to fuzz up big time. Let’s give it a try.

wash 1 – This picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s still really shiny (and soft). The ends came out a lot, but it’s very slick so I’ll have to come up with a way of dealing with that. Some fuzzing on the loose ends but all in all much, much better than expected.

Acrylic Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable

This is getting a lot of exposure on the internet, and I like it for scarves. Big potential for fuzzing, though.

wash 1 – It tightened up (use caution if you’re making a fitted garment) but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It looks really good, very little fuzzing (even less than when I began!) and the ends have stayed put. It’s very soft, too. I like it.

So that’s all I have right now. I’ll add more swatches as I get them. Hope this has helped with your yarn decisions. I know it’s reassured me that they all hold up better than you might fear.